French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote

I’ve been looking forward to making this French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote ever since I saw the recipe in the October issue of Cooking Light.  This particular recipe uses Challah and it just so happens that we made Challah in the Mellow Bakers’ group last month. 

This recipe can be made with several varieties of apples. Some of the suggested varieties are: Pink Lady, Liberty, Fuji, or Jonagold.  I used a few Winesap apples that I had gotten on my last trip to my favorite farm.  These apples are tart and good for canning and eating. I thought they would be perfect in this recipe.  The final main ingredient in this recipe is maple syrup. I got some delicious maple syrup a couple of months ago from a vendor at the Yellow Daisy Festival so I was all set.  Now, all I needed was the time to make this French Toast. 

I couldn’t wait any longer, so I made the French Toast the other night for dinner.

 

A little French Toast History

Did you know…

… that French toast recipes exist in many cultures? Recipes have been traced back to the Ancient Roman times (see Food Timeline). It is also known as German toast, American toast, Spanish toast, Nun’s toast, Cream toast, Amarilla, and Poor Knights of Windsor. French Toast is most often eaten for breakfast although it is sometimes eaten as a dessert.  I like to eat it for dinner, but that’s just me.

 

French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 pieces toast about about 1/3 cup compote
Recipe from Cooking Light, October 2010 Issue

This is the Challah I used to make the French Toast

Ingredients

Compote:
Cooking spray
1  tablespoon  butter
3  cups  sliced peeled Pink Lady (or other) apples (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4  cup  maple syrup
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

French toast:
2  tablespoons  granulated sugar
1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
1/8  teaspoon  salt
4  large eggs, lightly beaten
12  (1-ounce) slices Challah bread (or Hawaiian bread)
4  teaspoons  butter
Powdered sugar (optional)

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°. Place wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven.

To prepare compote, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add apples to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Keep warm.

 

To prepare French toast, combine granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk, vanilla, salt, and eggs; whisk until well blended. Working with 1 bread slice at a time, place bread slice into milk mixture, turning gently to coat both sides.

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add 3 coated bread slices; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place on rack in oven to keep warm. Repeat procedure three times with cooking spray, remaining 3 teaspoons butter, and remaining 9 coated bread slices.

 

Serve French toast with compote. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  I added the powdered sugar, but I didn’t add any additional syrup. It tasted great.  This is probably the best French toast I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious!

 

Here’s the Nutritional Information:
Calories: 370
Fat: 12.1g (sat 5.3g,mono 4g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 11.3g
Carbohydrate: 55.3g
Fiber: 2.9g
Cholesterol: 185mg
Iron: 2.7mg
Sodium: 427mg
Calcium: 146mg

 

Thanks for joining me in the bread-baking blog.  I hope you enjoyed this bread and will join me again soon.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Here are some additional bread-making resources:

• Bread Recipes
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• Baking Supplies
• Bread Flour
• Bread Mixes